STD Clinic

Engaging in sexual activity is a leading risk factor for acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (STD), including HIV.

Anyone who begins sexual activity should develop a personalized plan on how to prevent the transmission of STDs and remain sexually healthy.

The following options can help reduce your risk for acquiring an infection through sexual activity:

Wait to have sex: wait until you’re sober; wait until you’re a certain age; wait until you’re married; wait until…whatever time YOU choose. Whatever you decide “waiting” means for you, not having sex immediately will ensure that you won’t get an STD.

Monogamy: discuss with your partner what this means and how it’s defined in your specific relationship.

Communication: talk with your sexual partner(s) about your and their sexual history and when they were last tested for an STD.

Reduce your number of sexual partners.

Condoms: using condoms and dental dams appropriately reduces the risk of acquiring an STD by almost 100%, and the health department offers free condoms to anyone who requests them.

Don’t have sex while impaired: anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs is more likely to engage in higher risk sexual behaviors. Alcohol and drugs are one of the most common reasons that people modify their behaviors related to sexual activity and increase their risk of acquiring an STD.

Don’t assume: never assume a partner would tell you if they had an infection. Most people who are diagnosed with an STD report that they “knew” their partner’s status so they thought they were being safe.

Mutual masturbation: while this does allow for the transmission of bacterial infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, the risk of transmission is much lower than during unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all pregnant women get routinely screened during the pregnancy for bacterial STDs in order to avoid maternal-to-child transmission during birth.

If a pregnant woman is infected with an STD, she can receive treatment to avoid infecting the baby.

If left untreated, the infection may be passed to the baby who may suffer from such consequences as low birth weight, eye infection, lung infection, developmental disorders, or premature death.

Sometimes talking to your regular health care provider about sexually transmitted diseases can be difficult. Testing and treatment at the health department STD Clinic is a safe, convenient option for people who would rather not discuss these topics with their family doctor.

However, if you’d like to talk to your family doctor about STDs, questions to consider asking include: